Project Information
Ever since I first seen the commercially made wall-mount router setups, I thought they looked very convenient and flexible. Since I didnt have an extra grand lying around to buy one, I decided to come up with a home made version. Mine doesnt have some of the features, such as the sliding mechanism that moves the wood instead of the router. But honestly, there are several things on the commercial units that I just didnt need. For instance, I already have a leigh dovetail jig, so I didn't need to engineer this jig to cut dovetails. I am currently using the jig for the first time on a project (a bed for my daughter), and I absolutely love it. It is great for making a series of mortises quickly and accurately. Square tenons would be super easy as well. I also love having the router up nearer to eye level. Im 6 feet tall, and I have the jig mounted at around 50 inches off the floor.
The build was fairly simple. I designed it around some aluminum t-track that I already had. For left to right movement, the router base plate assembly is sitting on glides made specifically for the t-tracks im using. The front to back movement relies on the two piece router base. Both pieces are acrylic. The top piece is simply riding in the wooden slides on the left and right of the router. The long handle in front of the router locks this movement. Fixed rules and cursors are a must in my opinion. And all of the different options you have for limiting movement make this jig very precise and easy to set up.
Overall I had about $150 in this jig and there is very little I would change. Im sure you could build it cheaper, but I am factoring in the original cost of the t track I used. It was a little pricey.
An added bonus, is that the jig does not take up any extra space in my shop. When I am not using it, I park my router table underneath the jig.
The build was fairly simple. I designed it around some aluminum t-track that I already had. For left to right movement, the router base plate assembly is sitting on glides made specifically for the t-tracks im using. The front to back movement relies on the two piece router base. Both pieces are acrylic. The top piece is simply riding in the wooden slides on the left and right of the router. The long handle in front of the router locks this movement. Fixed rules and cursors are a must in my opinion. And all of the different options you have for limiting movement make this jig very precise and easy to set up.
Overall I had about $150 in this jig and there is very little I would change. Im sure you could build it cheaper, but I am factoring in the original cost of the t track I used. It was a little pricey.
An added bonus, is that the jig does not take up any extra space in my shop. When I am not using it, I park my router table underneath the jig.